1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to display boards and more specifically relates to a display board for conveniently organizing the displayed contents.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The need to display selected material such as business cards, photographs, coupons, notes, and the like on a board or panel for viewing the contents thereof has resulted in a number of attempts to provide a board that satisfactorily displays and retains such material. One such attempt can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,342 to Roche et al. Roche describes a display panel typically integrated into a wall section such as those found in removable cube walls. The board includes an exposed magnetic screen surface overlying a tack board to secure bulletins and memos by a variety of attachment means such as magnetic retention, tacking, or taping. Thus the items are positioned on the wall using either destructive pointed fasteners or magnetically retained. Such walls become cluttered as more and more material is added and often more than one fastener holds a group of materials in a stacked relationship increasing the difficulty in locating the desired information.
Another attempt to provide a display board is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,338 to vom Braucke et al. This display board includes a bulletin board backing supporting at its lower end a tray including several dividers providing a number of open topped compartments for holding a variety of articles such as scissors, tape rolls, writing utensils and the like. The lower tray projects outwardly from the backing structure which has a coating providing a writing surface.
Another such device can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,150,296 to McIntosh. In general, such a device incorporates a magnetic backing surface, a pen clip for holding a pen or marker, a peripheral writing surface, and a holder for a memo pad. The board is placed on a metallic surface and when desired the pen is removed from its clip and notes are written upon the writing surface or accompanying note pad.
Yet another common display surface for common articles such as newspaper clippings, photographs, business cards, telephone number lists, notes, and other such writings is the refrigerator door. Typically, various sized magnets collected from random contacts with businesses are used to hold the various articles in place on the refrigerator. Often, one magnet holds more than one article and generally winds up falling on the floor along with the articles due to overloading the magnet""s retention capability. The use of multiple magnets and randomly placed articles generally adds to the clutter and unpleasant appearance of one""s refrigerator and does not provide a means for organizing such material. The often used practice of stacking material under one magnet also presents the viewer with a difficulty in locating the desired information.
A common shortcoming found in all of these display devices is the lack of a built-in organizational structure for the articles retained on the board such as notes, photographs, business cards and the like resulting in a general disorderly appearance and lost time while endeavoring to locate the desired item within the clutter, especially when the items are covered up by other items.
What is needed is a time-saving organizer that may conveniently mount to a refrigerator or other planar surface to organize materials placed thereon and provide a convenient system for identifying and locating such materials even if covered up.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a display board is provided having a magnetic backing surface and a front surface subdivided into a first region formed with an overlying erasable surface and a second complementary region. Such second region includes a plurality of overlapping display sleeves each having an opening for insertion of selected material. Such display sleeves may include tabs for identification of the contents therein providing quick location of the desired material. A holder for a writing utensil may also be conveniently provided.